


Leo is the Answer

by TW_HP_YD_WB_FANFICS



Category: Humans (TV)
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Family, Feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-02-10
Packaged: 2018-05-18 22:33:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5945770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TW_HP_YD_WB_FANFICS/pseuds/TW_HP_YD_WB_FANFICS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mattie finds the Elster's kidnapped and Leo being tortured. She saves them and the family feels whole again but how long will it be this time before they leave or someone gets hurt? Leo is a puzzle, one Mattie intends to figure out. First she has to keep them in one place for long enough and she's determined to make them stay this time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kidnapped and Tortured

**Author's Note:**

> I've just finished watching humans recently, finding it through Colin and falling in love with all the characters. Leo and Mattie stood out for me from the beginning and I knew I needed to write something about them. P.S. I love Max to the moon and back. Please bring me season 2.

 

 Mattie watched the men load the van, body after body of symths piled on top of each other as though four of them weren’t conscious, although obviously the men weren’t to know that, to know that they should respect the Ester family – all but two of them – who have more humanity than the human’s around them.

She wonders where Leo is, where Beatrice is for that matter although the former is more important as of now. She claws a hand through her hair, the thick strands forming knots and causing her to hiss with pain before slowly untangling the mess. Is Leo near? Is he close, watching with anger and pain as she is at the sight of his family disappearing one by one? Or they could be keeping him somewhere else, torturing the man whose eyes are too old for his years. Torturing for the simple prize of knowledge Leo would never give if it meant putting his family in danger.

Finally moving away and taking her eyes off of the van she decides the most probable place of finding Leo is inside the warehouse the men are coming out of. She wonders if she should be so stupid as to make the decision of going to find him herself, walking somewhere unknown, scary and dangerous without a thought if it means saving a friend. Mattie knows what her mother would say, how disappointed she’d be in her little girl if she took the chance and not only dies but had been looking in the wrong place anyway.

She knows what to do.

Body shaking in fear, Mattie makes her way around the building, until she reaches the other side, out of sight of the men that are still moving the bodies. She makes her way up the wall, finding make-shift foot holds in brick, storage boxes and gutters until she pulls herself to the top, swinging her leg round until her whole body is on the roof and she sighs in relief at coming this far. Luckily, the window she was hoping for is actually there as she crawls so as not to be seen towards it and looks down, using the sleeve of her jumper to wipe of the murkiness that’s gathered on the glass so she can see inside.

Mattie looks down and spots Leo, a seemingly lifeless body in the corner, shackled to a chair, his body limp, hanging over the back of it as a man, dressed in all black, circles him, a knife in one hand and whip in the other, an old fashioned but thorough way of getting what you want out of someone.

She lifts the phone to her ear, ‘he’s here’ she whispers.

‘Wait it out Mattie, don’t do anything until we get there.’ She nods although she knows Toby can’t see her and puts down the phone she’d called her brother with only a few minutes ago, letting her family know what’s going on. Mattie’s not stupid.

Watching the scene below, anger welling up in her throat as she can vaguely hear the conversation below…

_‘What do you want?’ Grounds out Leo, obviously not dead then, but hurt none the less._

_‘I wanna know wat a young guy like you is doin’ wit a group of dolly’s? Ya don’t look like ya have much so ya must’av’ stol’n em. I wanna know wat ya was doin’ with em.’ The man’s vernacular is terrible, but so is his insight to synths so Mattie isn’t really surprised._

_‘That’s really damn funny to hear from a guy whose lackeys are currently taking away_ my _syths.’ Leo snarks back and Mattie curses under her breath as she knows what’s coming._

_Why would Leo act like this when he knows he’s only going to get hurt for it? Mattie rolls her eyes as she knows it’s probably because Leo feels like it’s his fault for what’s going on. She winces before the impact occurs, the sounds of a whip on skin ricocheting throughout the room and it feels like a hit to her own skin. Leo hardly flinches, as though he’s no used to the pain. She doesn’t know how much more she can take of this, her mind swimming with ideas on how to make the situation stop. She’s about to do something rash when the sirens start singing…_

She thinks she must hear them first as the men below don’t start reacting until a few seconds later when one runs inside and the man who’s starting to round on a helpless Leo spins his head, panic evident on his face as he searches the room before finally catching sight of Mattie through the window on the roof before she jumps out of sight and starts climbing down as fast as she can, hoping her reaction speed is faster than the lackeys.

Luck seems to be in her favour today as the police cars screech into the drive as she reaches the front of the warehouse and runs for her family who have followed the police here, she doesn’t stop until her mother’s arms are wrapped around her, a comfort and safety she hasn’t let herself have for a while. She turns round and watches as the police go in and one man tries to run, until a police woman grabs him and places cuffs on his wrists.

They come out with Leo and the other man but Mattie really doesn’t care about the latter. Her dad and Toby come rushing forward towards him and pull Leo’s arms over their shoulders before manoeuvring him into the car.

Mattie turns towards her mother, ‘what did you tell them about the van?’ she asks, voice low.

‘I just told them that something seemed to be going on at the old warehouse where old man Mackory used to farm when I passed a few minutes ago and it looked like some people may be hurt and that my daughter had stayed behind to monitor the situation and that I was worried about her too.’

Mattie smile gleefully, ‘you’re a star mom.’ Before turning to the man who seems to be in charge but luckily isn’t the old head of department who got sacked for giving details to Hobbs that he shouldn’t have. This man doesn’t know the Esters faces.

Mattie puts on her most puppy eyed expression as she looks at the man, ‘Sir? I was hoping you could maybe save my other friends? They knocked them unconscious and chucked them in the back of the van with the synths for some reason. It was horrible to watch sir.’ She manages a tear which seems to sell the situation to the man as he tells her to go find her friends.

Mattie, Toby and their father – her mother staying back to look after Leo - climb in to the van, moving the other synths carefully out of the way in search for their friends. Mattie finds Mia first, moving herself so the men can’t see and tapping her friend under the chin and watching as Mia gasps before looking up at Mattie as the girl thanks her stars that the synth seems to have contacts in and their power packs must have been the only way the men knew what they were.

She whispers to Mia that she’s safe, to act as human as possible and tells her to go along with it as her dad and Toby do the same for Niska – why she’s with them Mattie does not know – and Max who’s as smiley as ever despite his injuries luckily hidden beneath his coat. Mattie think they’re done until she sees someone out of the corner of her eye. Fred.

Her father thinks fast as he also sees Fred and spins towards the policeman, ‘Sir? Would it be possible to take this synth with us also for helping today? He looks brand new other than a few scratches and giving him us might just keep all of this from getting out to the press?’ Her father can be awesome when he really wants to.

The police man’s eyes widen before nodding frantically, ‘oh I’m sure that would be fine sir. How… kind of you.’ The forced politeness is evident as her dad goes to lift Fred up without activating him and calling Toby over for help as Mattie leads the synths out of the van and ushers them, into the car as Mattie tells her mom to take the synths and Leo home and her father, Toby and her would walk the few blocks. Sophie, a quiet presence until now delights at having Mia back who hugs Sophie to her chest, a smile on both their faces so bright that it lights up the dull mood.

The police man offers no help or care for the wounded and leaves them to it, caring more about getting the situation under control without suspicion from members of the community. The Hawkins begin to walk home, Mattie’s fathers arm swung over her shoulder, proudness over whelming him at his daughter’s actions today while Mattie pulls her brother into a headlock, moving her fist over his head as he tries to writhe out of her grasp and despite the day they’ve had its evident how having the whole family back makes Mattie and Toby happier than they’ve been in a while. Joe can’t fault the synths for that.

 


	2. The Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo is surrounded by family to help him heal as he remains unconscious. Mattie sets her eyes on a different goal. Fred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if anyone's reading this but hi if you are (hugs). I'm sorry if corrections are needed for these chapters as I don't have a beta. If yo would like to be that beta by any chance then let me know.

]  
When Mattie, Joe and Toby reach the house, laughing as they tumble over the threshold it feels as though the world stops as their laughter dies at the sight in front of them. Fred’s on the table, where Max once lay yet none of his family are surrounding him now, instead they surround Leo who seems to have collapsed on to the sofa, splayed out on his back, body lax and eyes closed. 

His family are busy around him, Mia’s face so distraught as she calls for bandages and Mattie knows if the conscious synth could cry she would be right now. Max is holding one of Leo’s hands, seemingly unwilling to let go of his big brother despite Leo not clinging back. Niska seems to be the only one in control as of now, asking Laura to fetch her water and a needle and thread.

Mattie tries to wrap her head around the situation as Toby goes to stand by Max - a silent support - who smiles at him despite the mess and Joe goes to find the extra skin packs they’ve been stocking up on in case of need to give to the synths that have some scratches from their time in the van and perhaps even before then too. Mattie goes to check over Leo, gasping at the wounds she hadn’t seen before. There are gashes on his legs from the whip and long cuts down his arms from the knife. He’s bruised all over, his face littered with hand marks. 

As Mattie watches, Mia turns towards her, ‘did you see him hurt his head at all Mattie?’ her expression Is terrified, only relaxing when Mattie shakes her head.

‘I saw the man holding a whip and knife. I watched as Leo snarked back at the man, never once relenting to the torture and got rewarded for it with a whip across his thigh that cut through the material. He’s obviously been hit in the head though. Could it have damaged the synthetic part of his brain?’ Mattie worries for the man in front of her, the man that she remembers as being so strong despite what he had been through looking so vulnerable scared her more than she’d ever want to admit.

‘Maybe. He’s not responding at the moment and normally he wakes when plugged in but he hasn’t stirred. All we can do is wait and heal the wounds we can.’ Mia watches Leo, a hand holding his face, thumb stroking his stubble as she tries to search for any sign of life.

Mattie knows that Leo would be mad if he found them all fussing over him, believing there are other things they should be doing, other things they should focus on. Like Fred.   
So that’s what Mattie does, she makes herself some coffee, knowing she’ll be there for the long run and grabs her laptop from her room before sitting on one of the chairs at the table with Fred, memories coming back of her doubting herself and Leo telling her how she wasn’t stupid, a thank you without saying it. She can’t but smile as she remembers.  
Mattie plugs Fred in and sees Niska approaching her, leaving Mia to do the stitching as she so obviously wanted to look after her little boy, ‘what are you doing?’ Niska asks in her clipped town, standing behind Mattie, scanning the code over her shoulder despite not being able to fully understand it.

‘I’m trying to help Fred; it might be something good for Leo when he wakes up.’

Niska lays a hand on Mattie’s shoulder who looks up at the blonde in surprise, ‘we all appreciate your help today Mattie, we don’t know how you did it and we won’t talk of how you found us until Leo wakes up but you should know that we really are very thankful for what you do for all of us.’ Niska leaves as quick as she came and Mattie wonders if she’s ever heard her speak so much before.

\--

It’s hours before Leo wakes up with a jolt, his breath coming out with a rush like Mattie saw the synths do this morning before he tries to sit up and Mia reaches out a hand, holding down his uninjured shoulder and hushing him in the motherly tone Mattie misses her own mother using on her. Leo’s eyes are wide as he grabs desperately at Mia, scanning the room around him and then hissing in pain as he tries to move a leg.

Mia is trying to keep him down, Niska and Max surrounding the pair and soothing Leo in hushed voices as he slowly comes to terms with where he is and what’s happening. He chokes out a, ‘Fred?’ and Mattie wonders when the last time was that he’d had anything to drink as Toby runs to the kitchen to get him water and on his return they watch as Leo gulps it down as Max holds his unstable head up for him.

Mia hugs him fiercely as he places the glass down and Niska and Max join her, wrapping themselves around Leo in a way that reminds Mattie of Mia waking up from her final time of being Anita. They had hugged then too, so passionately that it had brought tears to the teenager’s eyes just as this hug was doing now.

Mattie realises then how much Leo must mean to them, how he must be the foundations to their family probably even before his father killed himself. The synths found purpose with Leo. Niska read to him it seems, taught him how to read and write and say the correct pronunciation of words, Mattie also believes Niska may be the one Leo goes to when he needs tough love, someone to tell him when somethings wrong. Mia is the mother, found a life with Leo as her son and has cared for him since her creation. Then there is Fred who Mattie guesses taught Leo about life, about math and history and the world of science as Leo taught him how to live in turn, taught all of them how to live for that matter. Then there’s Max who must be the one Leo would trust with every word he says and is his best friend through thick and thin. Mattie wonders if Maxie is the only one that has ever seen a side of Leo that is not this thick skin he shows. She wonders where any of the synths would be without Leo and how much they really do need him. 

It’s Laura who answers him, finally, as they break apart, passing soup to Leo and his family help feed him while the story of that morning is told and Mattie adamantly looks down at her laptop, continuing work on the code as she tries to ignore any looks Leo sends her way. When the story ends she knows question time will come soon and thanks her mother silently as she asks a question before Leo can.

‘So why are you here in the first place?’

Mia sighs, still holding Leo in her arms as Niska sits on the floor, her head resting on Leo’s side that seems to have no wounds while Max sits at his head, holding his head up for support. None of them seem to be able to let go completely yet. ‘We were actually coming back this way because we’d managed to get the code off of Hobbs, destroying all copies he could possibly have in the process. It was difficult since he managed to chase us hallway around the world. We found Niska again on the way but that’s another story for a different time.’ Niska shifts on the floor, looking up at Leo with a soft smile as the man makes the effort to run his hand over her hair, the only person she would allow to do so. The Hawkins’ can’t help but wonder what must have happened to the girl. ‘Since that was done we thought it might be okay to try and come and help Fred, we hoped, stupidly that he’d still be in the crypt but we were mistaken. We tried to track him down which only ended with us getting caught obviously. We had no idea Fred would be in the van with us, that just seems to be a spot of luck for once.’

Leo scoffs, ‘I doubt we’ll be able to help anyway.’ 

Mattie finally shifts her eyes fully from the laptop, ‘actually while you were sat on your ass I’ve managed to work out that whoever’s taken him from the crypt had transferred his data to sensory like with Mia and I’ve also translated it and found the parts of Fred’s code that aren’t actually his but Hobbs. I just need you now Leo to separate them completely so Fred’s not harmed in the process, I would do it but I don’t know Fred’s code well enough to be able to distinguish small differences. This way we can check his code and make a few mistakes if need be since it’s not in his mind yet. Do you think you could handle that?’ The sarcasm seeps through ever so slightly and she notices Niska’s lips twitch.

Mattie turns to Leo and sees his mouth hanging open before he stutters out a confused, ‘it’s so simple though’ and Mattie wonders how the others put up with him sometimes. Niska goes to hit the back of his head before thinking twice and lowering her hand, worry clouding her face few a few seconds.

‘Well thank you for that Leo.’ Mattie responds, feeling offended and trying to hide a slight pout.

Leo recoils, hands coming up in a placating manner as he shouts, ‘No!’ too quickly and jars his back. That is so unfair, how is Mattie supposed to be mad at him when he looks like a hurt puppy? ‘I really didn’t mean it like that Mattie.’ He grins and Mattie wonders if she’s ever seen him really do that, ‘you, Mattie are a genius! I could kiss you!’ Mattie raises an eyebrow in amusement and dismisses the butterflies in her stomach she’s not sure she’s ever felt before.

Leo seems to notice his mistake and glances at her dad and sees the frown on his face, ‘but obviously not really since you’re underage and I wouldn’t do that anyway because…’ Mattie waits for the excuse but never gets to hear it as Leo notices the smirks surrounding him and blushes, however minutely, ‘just give me the damn computer and get over here so we can work on this code Mattie.’ He glances at his family member, ‘go on, you’ve done enough. Charge while you can, I’ll heal.’ They do leave, however reluctantly one by one with a hug to Leo and a thank you to Mattie. Its further evidence of how much they need Leo, even just for a reminder to charge. He cares and she doubts they had much of that in life.

Leo turns to her, smiling for once and she guesses it must be like being high on life with the look he’s had over the last hour, knowing that perhaps all of his family will be together and whole again.

He winks and the playful gesture makes her head spin as they work together on the one laptop, bouncing ideas off of each other like old times and she recalls that the last time she had felt this focused, this connected with a person and this content was when she was last with Leo. Maybe it’s not just the synths that need him.

Like shed ever admit that to anyone though. She can only be grateful that it seems they’d all forgotten in their happiness to ask how Mattie knew where they were.


	3. Re-learning Each Other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo learns that Mattie isn't all he remembers her as.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the people that commented, I'm glad you're enjoying the fic. I hope you like this chapter too.

It didn’t take them long to fix Fred once they started working together. They call the others down when Fred’s fully charged and wait, grins on their faces as the others make a circle around them and Mattie makes a few final touches, nodding up at Leo to power up Fred. 

Fred’s eyes open and he sits up fast, holding on to Leo who winces at the strain on his wounds. Fred quickly let’s go of his brother, noticing the slight flinches and pulls away to look him in the eyes, ‘I’m not transmitting my location.’ His voice is full of wonder before he breaks out in a grin and Leo wraps his arms around his brother who sighs in relief as the others join in.

‘How?’ Fred speculates.

‘Mattie.’ Leo replies and that one word, her name, makes her light up a little although she tries to hide it. It’s nice to be appreciated.

She blushes, ‘it wasn’t all me. We worked together for the most part.’ Leo and Mattie make eye contact few a few agonising seconds before Fred coughs and she turns to him, blush now creeping down her neck.

‘Thank you Mattie, for all you’ve done for us.’ Fred tells her before looking to Leo, ‘you’re injured. Why?’ it takes a while to explain and the Hawkins’ leave the Elsters’ to it, letting them have time to get their life back in order after finally having their whole family back together again.

It’s hours later when Laura calls them to the dining room/kitchen for tea even if only one of them can actually eat. Leo limps his way to the table, not allowing the others to help despite how much he obviously needs it. When he sits down Laura places a hot plate of spaghetti down in front of him and they watch as he eats it up like a hoover. Mattie goes to fetch him a drink and the remaining pasta. He tries to say no out of courtesy before Laura reprimands him and basically forces the plate down in front of him. Mia smiles to his left and Mattie feels like it’s the first time in a while she’s felt like family are around.

‘May I ask a question?’ Fred inquires politely and continues at their nods, ‘Mattie? How did you know where we were?’

Well. This is going to be fun to explain.

Everyone is staring at her when she looks up and tries fruitlessly to not meet Leo’s eyes. A stupid task when her eyes always seem to trail to him. She grimaces, ‘please don’t be mad at me?’ Wow she doesn’t sound like a little kid at all.

Leo puts down his fork and raises his eyebrows at her. They’re very convincing eyebrows.

‘I may have put a tracking devise in Max when we were working on him. He knew about it and he knows he can take it out at any time. I knew he’d want to protect you guys and the devise enables him to transmit messages to me if need be. He must have done it just before he was powered down but we haven’t exactly had the time to talk about it.’ She sighs and looks to Max who nods at her, confirming her theory before ducking his head as if in shame and she can’t bear it. ‘Please don’t be mad at him either. He was just doing what was best. I mean, it all worked out great in the end.’

Leo looks incredibly calm and its slightly uneasy, ‘you’ve been tracking us for over a year?’ he questions.

‘God, it doesn’t seem like that long ago does it? Yes, I have, I knew something else would happen sooner or later with you guys on the run constantly and I was right.’

‘Why?’ Leo looks so confused.

Anger rages slightly, ‘because Leo. I care. Whether you like it or not, I care about you and your family and you’re just going to have to put up with that. I’ve helped saved you all once, what was the point of letting you die again after that?’

There’s a small smile on Leo’s lips and he reaches out a hand across the table so his lays over hers for a fleeting moment, squeezing then letting go, ‘thank you’ he tells her, eyes full of truth and wonder, ‘you’re something else, you know that Mattie?’

She chuckles, ‘I try’ she replies before looking round at the rest of her family who seem to be bemused all round while Leo’s family seem completely bewildered by the behaviour of their brother.

They need another topic of conversation before she combusts from the attention. She coughs, ‘um… so how come Niska’s back?’

She’s really not sure if that was a good decision or not when Leo looks away from her to look at Niska instead who’s rolling her eyes in agitation as it becomes obvious that no one will leave her alone till she talks.

Niska sits up higher before she speaks, readying herself and her defences, ‘If you all must know, I betrayed my family.’ Her family wince and Mattie watches as Leo reaches across to put a hand to the back of Niska’s neck and the blonde leans into it, closing her eyes for a second and looking at Leo with a soft smile. Mattie wonders how Leo forgave Niska considering his family values. Then again, it’s probably his family values that made him take her back. He’d never abandon one of them.

‘I went away for a while as you know and I suppose I should tell you that I took a copy of the data, other than the one I left with you. I wanted to make more like us yet when I tried I used a synth that had been brought before. I picked a girl that had seemed to go through some of the same things as me, like being in that sex house and being used. She had had so many owners and I just didn’t consider that when I gave her consciousness she’d remember everything, that the pain would come all at once, all the feeling would suddenly be there and she never had the chance to learn how to process it all. She killed herself within a month, unable to handle it and I honestly can’t blame her for that. I know now that I can’t do that to someone else unless they’re made like us and there’s no way I can do that as of now. I wanted my family anyway.’ She looks towards her brothers and sister, ‘it just shows how much I was missing out on that they’d take me back.’ It’s like witnessing a private moment, head pressed together and love so clear between all of them, it’s hard to believe anyone would ever want to hurt these beautiful people with so much more humanity than anyone she’s ever known.

Mattie draws away from the table, chair scraping across the floor and causing the Elsters’ to jump away from each other and stare up at her questioningly, ‘I’ve got to go to work.’ She announces, shrugging.

‘You work?’ How many times has Leo sounded confused tonight? she wonders as she nods and starts to pack away her stuff, going upstairs to change into her work clothes. When she comes back down Leo is waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, ‘I’m sure that last time I was the one trying to find out about you?’

He scoffs and smirks, ‘You still are’ she really can’t say he’s wrong, ‘you work?’

Mattie rolls her eyes, ‘yes Leo. People work, I know it’s not a common prospect for you but since I’m now in Uni I need to work to live since I give mom money for staying here.’ She starts to walk out the house, grabbing her keys and opening the door before Leo stops her again.

‘Sorry Mattie. It’s just that you’ve grown up so much since I last saw you. You have a car and a job and I don’t know you’re just the same and not the same.’

‘You can’t be that surprised Leo. It’s been over a year, I’m 19 now, all grown up so I’m allowed to make a life for myself. It’s really not my fault you haven’t bothered to check in. It’s not like we really knew each other before hand anyway.’

Leo sighs and looks down before walking towards the car and opening the door for her, ‘no maybe not but I’m trying to now.’ He tells her and Mattie walks towards him slowly before ducking to sit in the driver’s seat. He closes the door and waves as she pulls out of the drive, its only when she reaches the end of the street that she let herself smile to herself, remembering when she’d said almost the same thing the first time Leo came here.

If only he stayed long enough this time for them to really get to know one another.


End file.
